Local companies see exports as sure way to grow business (Dayton, Ohio)

Source: Dayton Daily News

So in 2001, Fisher opened a sales office in Germany, even though his Xenia firm, which makes pincers or “hands” placed on the ends of some robotic arms, was then just five years old. He understood that U.S. companies must concentrate on markets abroad as the domestic economy improves.

Today, exports comprise 20 percent of SAS Automation’s sales. Fisher wants to push that to 25 percent. Exports are a “big part” of how SAS survives, Fisher said. If the companies were “dependent (only) on this market here, we would have a tough time.”

Steve Berglund is chief executive of Trimble, which provides positioning products such as GPS systems, lasers and more to construction, engineering and agricultural markets worldwide. He sees more “upside” to future sales outside the U.S. than within the U.S. Today, Trimble’s sales are about evenly split between domestic and foreign markets, Berglund said. But he expects to possibly double sales to India this year and he has his eye on Africa as well.

“Right now, China is the second largest country for us, after the U.S., which would have been unthinkable maybe five, six years ago,” Berglund said.



Read more: http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/local-companies-see-exports-as-sure-way-to-grow-business-829385.html

here in the good old usa it`s just the big boys who get the help...to move their corporations outside our borders.

you'll also find that was why Obama disagreed with Merkel's policies - they maintain a situation where Germany's exports remain strong. The fact that may not be in the best interests of the USA is just "tough".

Especially in technology markets, having your product viewed as truly "world class" is HUGE. An awful lot of people (witness the pro-Toyota threads here) consider American products second-rate, because they have been conditioned to think that the stuff from Japan or Germany is superior.
If your robot effectors sell to the German technology people, they gotta be the balls.....

Countrymen in Japan are proud to buy cars made by their fellow countrymen. Why is there none of that sentiment here?

buying a foreign car. If that were not the case, the auto manufacturers would have gone out of business in the 1980s. Only that sentiment saved them, since there were lots of miserable cars of questionable quality built in those years.

So, saying there is none of that sentiment here is not a correct statement.

The percentage here seems lower than other countries.

..........economy". After WWII our country was COMPLETELY undamaged and our companies shifted immediately to making "consumer products", ie; TV's, transistor radios, CARS, and HOMES. For 50 yrs we had a so called "consumer economy" and whenever there was a recession companies laid off employees and those employees could not buy the consumer "toys" thereby putting the economy into a vicious circle. Well, since especially the 80's our companies have been shifting their manufacturing overseas and the so called consumer "junk" we have imported first from Japan in the 50's, then other Asian countries until today we import most of our "crap" from China. Well, if Joe Blow and his family are either NOT working or working at McWalmart he won't be able to buy all the junk the consumer economy produces and less & less of what the "Chinese economy" produces. What we have now become is the financial capitol of the world with the workers in this segment doing pretty well overall. Now you have a massive "service economy" to service (god, I love that word, kinda reminds you of hookers) the fewer & fewer workers that have excess money to spend. So, we have a financial sector "class" and a service sector "class" and finally the lowest caste in the US the NON-WORKING poor. That is the heart of the income divide in this country now and the manufacturing jobs are NEVER coming back. That is what you are beginning to hear now from some honest economists like Krugman. Most just say it'll take maybe 10 yrs for the jobs to "come back", but let's get fucking real, many if not most WILL NOT BE BACK. So if you have an education and can manage in these times to save a "little" you probably would want to consider becoming an expatriate. Because folks, FASCISM HAS FINALLY COME TO AMERICA and it ain't gonna get any better.

What items were made beforehand?

......I don't understand your question. I ain't no fucking history major, but basically the beginning of the 20th century we were in the in the buildup of our heavy industry economy, ie; steel, rail transportation, coal for industry and home heating, the beginning of our giant auto industry and various other "heavy" manufacturing. The major reason we won the fucking war is because we had "newer" manufacturing equipment/machinery and we were untouched by destructive war in this country. After the war it made it really easy to switch our war manufacturing to "consumer" mfg. The rest of the industrial world at that time was ravaged by war and the destruction caused by it, we on the other hand just "switched" our economy back to consumer products. Therein lies the rub. We were the ONLY country on the planet with the manufacturing capability to not only supply ourselves with "crap" but also the rest of the world. Then came our outsourcing, first to Japan (around 53 or 55 built up the manufacturing with brand new machinery) and then other countries. Meanwhile our own fantastic manufacturing capability (from our newer machinery) was starting to crumble because of not replacing outdated or old machinery while Europe and Japan were starting from scratch with brand new manufacturing infrastructure. Read some in depth American history of early manufacturing in this country and the labor movement say from 1900 to 1955 that will give you a feel for why we are at the place we are today.

The US still leads the world in manufacturing. You're argument seems to be that we are just making the wrong things.

..........may be able to screw with the stats and what you really mean by "leads". We aren't #1 in many things anymore. Prisoners is one, and I am sure there are others, but very, very few that "count" anymore. At this stage it is a political problem in this country. My opinion is that we are now in our own "American" brand of fascism. Wealthy financial elites, constant war and a political class that supports both (doesn't REALLY matter which party, I call them "bad & worse") a very quickly disappearing middle class. I'm tired of typing and getting depressed, time for my "medication". VIVA PROP 19!!!!!!!!!

http://moneywatch.bnet.com/economic-news/blog/macro-view/manufacturing-surprise-the-us-still-leads-in-making-things/2134/

May not always be the case, but we still do.

........"service industries". Either way you want to interpet it (and I am somewhat skeptical w/o reading other materials) we are fucked (maybe I should have said "floundering" or falling quickly). You seem like you may be "younger" and I personally would advise MOVING to another country, carefully researched by yourself, I might add. Me, I am 63 now lucky enough to have a modest (and I mean modest) pension and early (62yo) SS, so I will survive ok with the years I have left.

Most consumer goods were made locally,in the general area that they were consumed.
We (And most other countrys) did not have the infrastructure to move goods on a scale like we have today.yes there were trains,but if you lived a good distance from a rail line,then a lot of things were to big (Furniture for example) to ship.So stuff was manufactured locally.

That has changed over the last 60 or so years mainly due to major improvements in Roads (The interstaste anD US Highway system) and Trucking,Bigger more powerful,able to carry more especally after WWII with the corresponding technical improvements.

I hope that made sense...I have'nt had my coffee yet.

I doubt we will ever go back to provincialism.